Thompson Rachel, Basura Gregory, Din Taseer Feroze, Jayawardena Asitha
University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Audiol Res. 2022 Jul 13;12(4):388-392. doi: 10.3390/audiolres12040039.
Background: The advancement of otologic surgery in low-resource settings has been limited by the cost and transport of surgical equipment. This study compared the transportation costs of an otologic microscopic surgical setup (MSS) versus an endoscopic surgical setup (ESS) in low- and low to middle-income countries (LMICs) for surgical teaching. Methods: Dimensions of microscopes, endoscopes and associated surgical instruments were used to calculate shipping costs from Minneapolis, MN, USA to Kenya, Haiti and Sri Lanka. Results: The average cost of internationally shipping the ESS is less than the MSS in Kenya (ESS: USD 1344.03; MSS: USD 20,947.00; p = 0.370), Haiti (ESS: USD 549.11; MSS: USD 1679.00; p < 0.05) and Sri Lanka (ESS: USD 945.38; MSS: USD 8490.57; p = 0.377). Freight shipping was required for the MSS while the ESS can be packed into an international checked bag for USD 35.00 USD. Discussion: The ESS has fewer logistical barriers than the MSS, making the endoscope a feasible option for surgical teaching in LMICs.
资源匮乏地区耳科手术的发展受到手术设备成本和运输的限制。本研究比较了在低收入和中低收入国家（LMICs）用于手术教学的耳科显微手术设备（MSS）和内镜手术设备（ESS）的运输成本。方法：使用显微镜、内镜及相关手术器械的尺寸来计算从美国明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯运往肯尼亚、海地和斯里兰卡的运输成本。结果：在肯尼亚（ESS：1344.03美元；MSS：20947.00美元；p = 0.370）、海地（ESS：549.11美元；MSS：1679.00美元；p < 0.05）和斯里兰卡（ESS：945.38美元；MSS：8490.57美元；p = 0.377），ESS的国际运输平均成本低于MSS。MSS需要货运，而ESS可以装入国际托运行李，费用为35美元。讨论：ESS的后勤障碍比MSS少，这使得内镜成为LMICs手术教学的可行选择。
